Media statement | 3 September 2007

Transport Safety Minister launches improved school road safety strategy

Minister for Transport Safety Harry Duynhoven officially launched the all new RoadSense – Ata Haere school road safety strategy in New Plymouth today.

The Minister joined students from Central School for an interactive lesson on the physics of speed at Pukekura Raceway, involving on-track demonstrations with police cars.

The lesson is an example of the RoadSense strategy’s aim to integrate road safety into the existing curriculum of primary and intermediate schools. RoadSense is a national professional development and support strategy funded by Land Transport NZ, and run as a joint partnership with New Zealand Police. RoadSense builds on and supports the work of police education officers to reduce child deaths and injuries on and around New Zealand roads.

RoadSense supports the delivery of road safety education in selected primary and intermediate schools, located in areas with high rates of child injury from road crashes, including Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu/Wanganui, Taranaki, Otago and Southland. RoadSense schools receive funding and staff support from a RoadSense facilitator. There are currently 158 New Zealand schools supported by RoadSense, with another 62 schools to be added in 2008.

First launched in 2001, RoadSense has recently been redeveloped in order to enable more practical road safety lessons to be linked into the Health and Physical Education Curriculum.  Stronger links have also been made to the Police RoadSafe Series, and a sustainability module has been added to the strategy, along with a new ‘RoadSmart’ DVD teaching tool.

For more information on RoadSense visit www.roadsense.govt.nz

For more information

Andy Knackstedt
Media Manager
Land Transport New Zealand
Ph: 04 931 8829  or  0212 763 222